What more can I say about 9/11 that hasn't already been said, twenty years later?
We who are old enough to remember where we were, we've talked about where we were when we found out and how we felt.
We've been through a 20-year war that began as a direct result of 9/11 and just ended in chaos a few weeks ago, and that's left everyone wondering, was it worth it?
"Homeland Security" is now a regular phrase in the nation's vocabulary.
We've grown used to the TSA's pat-downs, to taking off our shoes before we go through security screening, to buying 3 oz. bottles for our liquids.
This year's graduating seniors weren't even born when 9/11 happened. They learn about it in history class.
Too many of us are too suspicious of anyone that doesn't look like us.
And every September 11th, for too many, the bandage gets ripped off the wound, leaving it raw and exposed. We hear the reading of the names at Ground Zero, see the tears, see the photos of lost loved ones.
Some want to remember. Some want to move on.
Today, one of the "name readers" at Ground Zero specifically remembered her sister. I think the sister's name was Cathy.
Cathy's sister said that one of Cathy's phrases was, "Get over it."
And then she said, "We've never gotten over it, but we've gotten on with it."
Getting on with it.
Maybe that is what should sum up these 20 years since 9/11. We have gotten on with it.
But how well have we gotten on with it?
Sixty-five children of 9/11 victims grew up to be first responders.
Others enlisted in the military, wanting to serve and defend their country.
And others looked for meaning in this tragedy. Some found a way to "get on with it" by serving others.
Others have not.
They have "gotten on with it" by pointing fingers of blame at people who were not to blame, and encouraging hatred of people that should never be hated.
They have "gotten on with it" by using the phrase "America First" to excuse their hatred towards people and ideologies they do not like.
Which leads to the question: How am I "getting on with it"?
I'm remembering a personal loss today, in addition to the losses on 9/11: my father died on September 11th, 1993, after fighting with Lou Gehrig's disease. He would probably be the type of person to say, "Get over it."
I also lost my mother in 2017.
Like everyone, I am navigating a world dealing with a pandemic.
I've spent nearly 20 years dealing with the reality of autism, the losses that it sometimes brings and the many gains it has brought.
There are days I seethe in anger and frustration at the finger-pointing and blaming going on in today's society. I fear that another 9/11 will not unite us. Instead, it will break us.
My heart is especially broken over Christians fighting Christians over how to handle the pandemic, how to respond to racial issues, how to deal with the current political climate, and other subjects.
So where do I go? How do I "get on with it"? How do we all "get on with it"?
Well, the longer I live, the fewer answers I have.
But for me, I have to look to who is outside myself, and that is God. I know Him as someone who knows and understands my anger and pain, and my questions, and who can take it. I don't understand Him at times, and I don't understand at times why He continues to allow pain and evil in this world.
And yet, I believe, in spite of my anger, in spite of my pain, in spite of the many times I have shaken my fist at God and demanded to know, why are you allowing this to happen? I still believe He loves me, I still believe He is a God of love, I still believe He exists, and I still believe He is there.
So how do I get on with it?
I reach up, put my hand in His, and together, we move forward.
Today is a day to stop and remember. For some, it's a day to stop and grieve.
For all of us, tomorrow will be another day to get on with it.
So, to combine the words of Cathy's sister and the last words of Todd Beamer, one of the heroic passengers of United Flight 93 . . . Get on with it. Are you ready? Let's roll.
Just my .04, adjusted for inflation.
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